Written By Gopal Krishna on Sunday, March 02, 2014 | 3:07 AM

In a landmark
recommendation, Parliamentary Committee on Urban Development has recommended that
“Incinerator plants should be stopped
in all residential areas in all metropolitan & Big cities across the
country” in its latest report to the Parliament.

This report vindicates the position of ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA) that has
been campaigning against such Incinerator plants in the country since 2001
along with resident welfare associations, waste recycling workers and
environmental groups.

The report
reads: “The Committee note that the Municipal Solid Waste is delivered by NDMC and
MCD at the Okhla Power Plant site. Although it is claimed that “only non Hazardous
Municipal Solid Waste will be treated at the facility”, the fact is that Delhi’s
mixed municipal solid waste has characteristics of hazardous waste. MCD, Delhi
government and Central Government have shown sheer callousness towards hazardous
emissions from municipal incinerators that cause serious environmental and
health problems to the people living not only near them but thousands of kilometers
away from the source. The Committee feel anguished and dissatisfied with the
reply of the Ministry that the soot in the atmosphere is reported to be within norms as it is
monitored by Delhi Pollution Control Board. Therefore, the Committee recommend
that these kinds of Waste Incinerator Plants should be stopped in all residential
areas in all metropolitan & Big cities across the country.”

The attached the Report
of the Parliamentary Committee on Urban Development that refers to the
controversial Okhla based waste combustion based power project of Jindal Urban Infrastructure
Ltd.

The report states,
"During the hearing held on 15th May, 2007 in the matter relating to the
stay on Govt. subsidies for projects on recovery of energy from municipal solid
waste, Hon'ble Supreme Court has permitted the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
to go ahead with setting up of 5 waste-to-energy projects to study the
viability of such projects. Hon’ble Supreme Court also directed that no
projects for waste-to-energy be taken up till 5 pilot projects are completed.
As per the aforesaid direction, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
formulated “Programme on Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste for
Setting-up of 5 Pilot Projects”. The programme provides central financial
assistance @ 2.00 crore per megawatt limited to Rs. 10.00 crore per project for
5 pilot set up by State Nodal Agencies, Urban Local Bodies/ Municipal
Corporations or entrepreneurs. So far 5 projects have been approved in the
cities Bengaluru, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Pune..."

It mentions one of
these five projects as M/s Timarpur Okhla Waste Management Pvt. Ltd., (TOWMCL),
Jindal ITF Centre, 28 Shivaji Marg, New Delhi (Promoted by Jindal Urban Infrastructure
Ltd. The location is mentioned as Old NDMC Compost plant, New Okhla tank, New
Delhi.

The reference to this
Okhla based plant as one of the 5 projects is deceptively worded to give the
impression that it is one of those 5 projects which was approved by the Supreme
Court. The RTI reply has already revealed that it was not one of those 5 projects.

Notably, the Report of
the Parliamentary Committee on Energy also refers to Okhla waste to energy
project. TWA had met Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chairman, Parliamentary Committee on Energy
to submit a memorandum seeking closure of Jindal's waste incinerator and
briefed him about it. TWA had also briefed Sharad Yadav, Chairman, Parliamentary
Committee on Urban Development in person.

The report of the Parliamentary
Committee on Urban Development states, "The Committee find that there are
three major Sanitary Land Fill (SLF) sites in Delhi (Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalaswa-
Jahangirpuri,) which have turned into huge mountains of garbage and far
exceeded their life span." Notably, Okhla is not and has not been a
landfill. There is some deep mischief at work in declaring it as landfill.